


Dip His Toe In

by kiwikero



Series: Moaning Caverns [2]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Also please don't litter, Alternate Universe, And Zouis being shits, Bats, Caves, Do it for me and Tour Guide!Louis, Fluff and Smut, I told you guys Niall would be in this part, Just in case anyone's claustrophobic, Liam is all business, M/M, More cave jokes, Oral Sex, Spelunking, This might lead into a third part?, Tight Spaces
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-18
Updated: 2014-12-18
Packaged: 2018-03-01 16:58:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2780762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiwikero/pseuds/kiwikero
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. It was business as usual at Moaning Caverns. That is, until a certain curly-haired tourist made good on his promise to set up a private tour. A private tour Louis had been looking forward to very much, thank you, until Liam decided to intervene. </p><p>Now, with two extra people along for the trip, can Louis manage to get Harry alone long enough to make a move?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dip His Toe In

**Author's Note:**

>   
> 
> 
> Well, thanks to the amazing comments and support I received for the first part, I had to write a sequel!! I looked at every reblog on tumblr, and the sweet things y'all said in the tags really warmed my heart. So thank you thank you thank you!!
> 
> This part gets a little, ah, steamier. -^^- Hope no one minds.
> 
> Like last time, my knowledge of caves is US-based, so please forgive me if I have any incorrect terminology or information about caves in the UK.
> 
> Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction and should be treated as such. The cave in this fic, while based on a real cave, is not associated with the real Moaning Cavern in any way.
> 
> Thanks again to my amazing beta, [Sarah](http://letstalkaboutharrysbuns.tumblr.com). She's the reason anything I work on gets finished. Also special thanks to the lovely [C](http://bakagamieru.tumblr.com) for reassuring me that the smut was okay. =)
> 
> The title for this part is another line from "A Diamond and a Tether" by Death Cab for Cutie. Thanks so much to [deadlyniall](http://deadlyniall.tumblr.com) for the Ziall pic used in the cover photo, and to [gaylinsonstyles](http://gaylinsonstyles.tumblr.com) for the selfie manip. Sorry for the cover, I'm so lousy at photoshop. If anyone wanted to redo it for me, they'd have my eternal love. <333

"Tomlinson! What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?"

Louis was halfway finished covering Zayn's car in loo roll when Liam's voice came booming out of nowhere. Muttering curses, he tried to duck out of sight behind the dented black hatchback.

"I know you're there, Louis," Liam sighed, and Louis could just imagine the accompanying eye roll.

Admitting defeat, Louis slowly stood from his hiding spot behind the car. "Heyyy, Liam. I was just..." He fidgeted, hefting the leftover loo roll in his hand sheepishly.

Liam pursed his lips, but his eyes suggested a hint of amusement. "You were just using company supplies to play a prank on Mr. Malik, am I right?" The supervisor raked a hand over his short brown hair. "As you do at least once a week. Honestly, what am I going to do with the pair of you?"

Louis huffed. He and Zayn weren't _that_ bad. They just wanted to have a little fun at work, is all. Like today, for instance. Louis wasn't entirely sure who started it, but they had been taking turns being shits to each other. While Zayn was on his first tour of the day, Louis stashed his cigarettes atop one of the ceiling tiles. When it was Louis' turn to go into the cave, Zayn had hidden the batteries to the lighting remote, and Louis had to go beg Liam for a spare. So now Louis was papering the bastard’s car.

"I'll, er, pay for the supplies I used. You can take it out of my cheque," Louis murmured, eyes on the ground. He felt every bit the kid who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

When he chanced a glance up, Liam was shaking his head. "I'm not worried about a bit of toilet roll, Louis." He crossed his arms over his broad chest, the little silver nameplate glinting in the afternoon sun. "I'm more interested in why I have a young man on hold wanting to set up a private tour with you."

Louis' jaw went slack at that. _"Harry?_ He actually called?" Sure, he and Curly had texted back and forth some, but nothing ever got serious. Harry certainly hadn't mentioned he was back in town.

Liam raised a thick eyebrow at Louis before turning to walk back to the gift shop. "We don't _do_ private tours, Louis," he reminded Louis as the lad caught up to walk next to him.

The shorter man lengthened his steps to get in front of his boss, holding his hands up and stopping Liam in his tracks. "I know, I know. Hear me out, yeah?" He took a breath and continued, ignoring the unusually sour expression twisting Liam's kind features. "He's a really nice guy and was genuinely interested in the cave, so I thought it'd be fun if I could show him some of the things the general public doesn't get to see," he explained lamely. "Come on, you let the guides go in after hours all the time!" he whined.

Rubbing a temple, Liam sighed. "Yeah, the guides, not inexperienced tourists." He raised a hand when Louis opened his mouth to argue, silencing the other man. "All right, just this once, but I have a few conditions."

Louis' blue eyes widened in shock. Never in a million years did he think responsible, sensible, stuffy Liam would agree to such a thing. Of course, he never thought Harry would actually come back, either. The world was full of surprises. "Anything," he breathed, trying not to sound too desperate. But God, the thought of having that tall, toned boy alone in the cave...

"One," Liam said, holding up a finger, "No shenanigans. This is to be educational, yeah? I better not find any evidence that something inappropriate happened in that cave."

Louis smirked, remembering the time they had found a discarded thong in the cave after a couple had snuck off during the tour. He quickly dropped the expression when he saw the annoyance on Liam's face. "Right, no funny business, go on."

Seeming to be satisfied, Liam raised a second finger. "Two, he has to sign a waiver. I won't have a lawsuit if you do something stupid and he gets injured."

Louis nodded. That was reasonable, especially given how clumsy Harry had proven to be on the regular path with handrails.

"Third, and most importantly, Zayn has to go with you."

Wait. _What?_

"Zayn? Why does Zayn have to go with me?" he asked, trying not to let disappointment show in his voice.

Liam just smiled, mirth dancing in his dark brown eyes. "There's not going to be any funny business, so what's the harm in having one of your mates go along?" He stepped around Louis, clapping him on the back as he went. "I'm sure you lads will have a great time."

Grumbling, Louis followed Liam back to the ticket counter, tossing the remnants of the loo roll into the bin in frustration. This was not how he pictured his reunion with Harry going at all.

***

"But like, why do _I_ have to go?" Zayn moaned, roughly shoving his torch and light control into his cubby. "Why can't you ask Matt or Lisa? Any of the other guides?"

Louis stood in the doorway of the break room, hands on his hips. "If I have to put up with someone cock blocking me, Zayn, it's damn well going to be someone I don't want to murder after spending an hour with."

Zayn raked a hand through his thick, black hair, already mussed from the humidity in the cave. "You wouldn't murder me for a shag, right? Liam isn't going to find my body stashed in the cave the next morning so that you two could have alone time?"

Louis rolled his eyes, scoffing. "Please. If I want alone time, I'll ask for it, yeah? And that's the other reason you have to go." His eyes were gleaming mischievously. "I know you'd give us a few minutes if I asked you to."

Face buried in his hands, Zayn moaned and shook his head. "What did I do to deserve this?"

Grinning madly, Louis looped an arm through Zayn's and started leading him out of the break room to the car park. "You locked me in the cave for a good twenty minutes earlier. Now come on and I'll help you clean up your car."

_"What did you do to my car?"_

***

Liam had set up the private tour for Saturday evening at half past five. Their supervisor had grinned widely at Louis on his way out the door. "Have fun, no messing about!" he had called, almost cheerfully. Louis wasn't about to question the man's good mood, especially when a certain curly-haired lad would be in his presence in less than half an hour.

Zayn came out of the break room at twenty after to find Louis perched on the ticket counter, feet kicking against the side of the desk. "Are you nervous or something, mate? This isn't like, a date or anything, right?" Zayn asked, one jet-black eyebrow arched.

Louis shot him a frown, scrunching up his nose. "No, it's not a _date._ I'm just anxious, is all. I'm looking forward to showing him the bits of the cave no one else gets to see."

Zayn muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like "I'll bet you want to show him your cave," but before Louis could inquire further a chime sounded as the front door opened.

In one swift movement, Louis hopped down from the counter and crossed to the door. "Curly!" he cried out, flinging his arms open dramatically. He stopped short, face falling, as a second figure stepped through the doorway as well.

Harry stood in front of Louis nervously, eyes downcast and hands fiddling with the hem of his black, long-sleeved t-shirt. He looked much the same as he had a month ago, except now his unruly curls were held in place by a floral print scarf. "Hi," he said softly, finally meeting Louis' eyes for the first time. He bit at his bottom lip as he smiled, that sinfully deep dimple making an appearance in the taller man's cheek.

Forcing himself to look away from those full, impossibly pink lips, Louis turned to regard the other newcomer for the first time. "You brought a friend," he stated flatly, trying to mask his dismay. _Boyfriend?_ Louis certainly hoped not.

The second man sprang into action, bounding toward Louis and sticking a hand out to shake. "Niall Horan! You must be the famous Louis! Heard all about you from this one," the blond man said in a thick Irish accent.

Shaking the proffered hand, Louis spared a teasing glance at Harry. "Oh? Talks about me, does he?"

The Irish man grinned, slinging an arm around Harry's neck. Louis bit back a twinge of jealousy, and mentally put a tick in the 'boyfriend' column. "Loads. And he has that picture the two of you took set as his profile picture on Twitter, so—"

"Shhhh!" Harry cried, pressing a large hand over Niall's mouth. He withdrew it a moment later after Niall had seemingly licked it, wiping his palm off on his impossibly tight jeans. He smiled apologetically. "Don't believe a word he says, he's nothing but trouble."

Louis had watched this whole exchange wordlessly, eyebrows arched in amusement. "In that case, he needs to meet Zayn. Trouble is his middle name." Louis jerked his thumb toward the other side of the shop. "I imagine he's in the break room getting ready."

Niall, blue eyes bright, glanced from Louis to Harry with a satisfied smirk. "All right, I'll go say hey and make myself at home then." He sauntered past Louis and around the corner, leaving the pair alone together.

Harry watched his friend go and stepped closer to Louis, worry clouding his large features. "I hope it's okay that I brought him. He heard me talking about the tour and was really interested, and when I asked the man on the phone he said it was a great idea."

 _Liam, you dirty bastard,_ Louis cursed to himself. Well, that explained the smug grin Liam had bestowed upon him on throughout the day. "It's fine, it'll be a lot of fun with the four of us." He couldn't help but feel a hint of satisfaction as Harry's expression faltered slightly. "Liam, the man you spoke to on the phone, thought my mate Zayn should come along too." He extended his arm in a sweeping gesture, motioning toward the section of the gift shop Niall had disappeared into. "Shall we?"

Still looking a little unsure of himself, Harry shoved his hands in his pockets and followed Louis to the break room.

***

When Harry and Louis stepped into the break room, they found Zayn and Niall sitting on opposite ends of the couch, laughing. Niall's cheeks were red as he gasped for air, and Zayn had his face hidden in the collar of his shirt, shoulders shaking.

"All right, Ni?" Harry asked, a bemused sparkle in his eyes at the state of the men on the couch.

Niall swiped at his streaming eyes with the sleeve of his jacket. "I'm great! You were so busy telling me about your fit tour guide that you never bothered to mention this one! He's a riot!"

Harry balked at Niall's words and his pale cheeks flushed crimson. "I, er, never actually met him last time I was here. Harry Styles," he said, extending a hand to Zayn.

Zayn pulled his head out of his shirt, taking deep breaths to stop his chortling. "Zayn Malik," he wheezed, grasping Harry's hand. His eyes swept up and down Harry's body. "You aren't planning on going in dressed like that, are you?" He asked, his warm amber eyes focused on Harry's skin-tight jeans.

Harry frowned, looking down at his attire. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing? It's comfortable and I don't mind if it gets dirty."

Louis scoffed. _"Comfortable?_ Those jeans look painted on, mate. Can you even get on your knees in those?" At the scandalised look the other three gave him, he added: "Because we're going to be _crawling_ in a _cave,_ you twats." He just shook his head at the peals of laughter coming from the other lads, even though he was desperately trying not to imagine Harry on his knees, thighs straining against the seams of the tight denim...

No no no. With a little huff, Louis grabbed the folder Liam had set out for them. "Our boss insisted we have you sign some release forms, so you can't sue the park if you fall down a hole or something," Louis said, glaring around the room until the laughter was subdued. Satisfied, he handed Harry and Niall each a copy—of course there were two copies, Liam you _bastard_ —and took a seat on the arm of the couch next to Zayn.

"Harry, I don't know if you should sign this. You nearly fell on your arse getting out of the car," Niall joked after reading through the paperwork. He grabbed the pen Louis held out for him and scrawled his name across the bottom.

"Heyyy," Harry protested, snatching the writing utensil from Niall and signing his own name. He stacked his paper on top of Niall's and held both out for Louis.

Louis slid off the arm of the couch and collected the forms, skimming over them to make sure they were filled out correctly. He let his gaze rest on Harry's signature for a moment, finding it endearing that the 'H' was so large and loopy while the rest of the letters were tightly curled and neat. Maybe signatures could tell you more about someone than Louis thought.

Stuffing the paperwork back into the file and tossing it on a nearby table, Louis clapped his hands together. "Right, Curly, let's find you some different trousers. Lucky for you, I keep a spare pair at work." He stepped to the row of cubbies mounted on the wall, pulling out the not-so-carefully folded work pants crammed in the back of his. They were one of his oldest pairs, wrinkled and soft from wear, with a permanent crease at the end of each leg from Louis constantly rolling them up. He chucked them to Harry, catching the other man by surprise and hitting him in the face. "Try those on."

Harry stood, unfolding his lean body from the couch, and ducked into the employee toilet. Once the door clicked shut, Louis turned to face Niall. "Your clothes should be fine. I've got a helmet for each of you, and torches as well."

Niall snickered. "I'll be impressed if you've got a helmet big enough to fit over Harry's hair."

"I can hear you, you know," came Harry's viscous drawl, muffled by the door. Louis chuckled. Maybe this Niall guy wasn't so bad after all.

***

Twenty minutes later, they were standing outside the cave entrance. Niall had his hands wrapped around the bars of the gate, peering in excitedly and murmuring things like "sick, fucking wicked" under his breath. Harry stood awkwardly off to one side, fiddling with the torch Louis had given him. His pigeon-toed stance and Louis' trousers, far too short for the taller man, somehow did not keep Louis from being incredibly attracted to the brunet.

"Right, here you go," Zayn said, handing Harry and Niall each a helmet with a headlamp strapped to it. "You don't have to wear these on the path, but put them on when we get to the side tunnels. Trust me, you'll need them." Zayn's chiseled features twisted in amusement as Harry fitted the helmet over his curls, securely fastening the strap under his chin.

Louis was pleased not to be the only one unable to resist the taller man's charms. "Those pants all right, Harry? They're a little short on you,” he said teasingly.

Harry stuck out a leg, showing off a bare ankle. "Yeah, fine thanks." He turned around and wiggled his bum, emphasizing the loose fabric there. "I'm afraid I don't quite fill them out elsewhere, though."

Louis reached back to pat his own bum, the fabric of his trousers taut against the curves. "Not many can, young Harry. It's the real reason I'm the most popular guide." He added a wink at Harry for good measure.

"Worked on me," Harry said, completely serious, his green eyes seeming to bore into Louis' with a surprising intensity.

Louis swallowed hard, gripping his own helmet with both hands in front of him to hide the rapidly growing bulge in his trousers.

Thankfully, Niall chose that moment to shake the gate, rattling the bars against the limestone entryway. "C'mon, let's get goin'!" he cried.

Zayn fished the keys out of his pocket, stepping past Niall and unlocking the padlock on the gate. "Chill out, mate, we've got plenty of time," he said, eyes bright. Louis was pleased to see the pair of them getting on so well. It made it all the more likely that he and Harry could slip away, if only for a moment.

The quartet made their way into the first chamber of the cave, and it was all Louis could do not to hop up on the cement block he used during tours. His breath caught with a twinge of nostalgia, remembering looking over his tour group and seeing Harry's hand raised above them, eyes bright and curious. Louis did not believe in love at first sight, but he couldn't deny that something in him had been immediately drawn to the green-eyed stranger with the syrupy voice.

"Earth to Louis!" Zayn's voice cut through Louis' memory. His coworker was snapping his fingers in front of Louis' face, eying him curiously.

Louis smiled apologetically before whirling to face Niall and Harry. "Okay, then, a crash course in caving safety for you lot. Most of this stuff is more important if you're going into a wild cave instead of a show cave like this one, but it's good to know nonetheless." He held up his torch. "You should always carry three sources of light with you. You don't want to be stuck in a cave when the lights go out." He inclined his head towards Harry. "You remember how dark it was when I shut off all the lights?" Harry nodded solemnly. "We have torches, and the electric lighting, and our headlamps. Zayn and I also both have spare batteries in our pockets. It's not as big an issue as if we were in a wild cave, but the power has gone out in here before." Louis shrugged like that fact didn't faze him in the slightest.

"Jesus," Niall swore under his breath, clutching his borrowed torch tightly.

"And you should always let someone know where you are and how long you plan to be gone," Zayn chimed in. "Liam, our boss, is going to come down here to check on us if we haven't touched base with him by ten o'clock tonight. We should be out way sooner than that, but just in case."

Louis added a few more basic rules for Niall's sake, like 'don't touch the formations, don't go off alone, don't pee in the cave for crying out loud'—"That _happens?"_ —and then it was time to get started. Louis' plan was to point out some of his favourite details along the path of the tour, and then take the lads down a few side passages for the authentic caving experience.

Zayn led the way into the second room of the cave, the one with the namesake formation. Louis loved seeing Zayn standing amongst the jagged formations in the cavern, all cheekbones and sharp lines like a formation himself. Louis was of the opinion that his friend should be off modeling in Paris or London rather than traipsing underground several times a day.

Harry made a beeline over to the room's main feature, a wall of drapery that produced low, haunting tones when struck with a mallet. He stooped over, reaching into the crevice in the formation where said mallet was hidden, and pulled it out. Louis' eyebrows shot up, surprised Harry remembered that detail from his tour.

The curly-haired man tossed the mallet from hand to hand, testing its weight. "Can I, er..." He motioned awkwardly toward the drapery formation.

Louis chuckled, a warm, gentle sound instead of his usual bleating laugh. He crossed the room and folded his body around the taller man's, reaching forward to take Harry's large hand in his own. "Sure you can, babe, just let me show you," he murmured, his other hand coming to rest on Harry's hip. He could see the backs of Harry's ears flushing red, and he assumed the brunet's cheeks were following suit.

With a gentle motion, he guided his and Harry's joined hands to the formation, striking it just hard enough to make a sound. The pleased noise Harry emitted made Louis' tummy flip, and he was unable to refuse the near childlike question of "again?"

"That's pretty fucking cool," Niall marveled once Harry'd had his fill and the mallet was hidden away once again.

"You'll have to come on the tour for real some time, mate," Zayn said, sauntering over to join Harry and Louis. "Not this one's, though. It's crap. He thinks he's funny," the black-haired man teased, digging his elbow into Louis' ribs.

"Oi," Louis retorted, pushing his coworker away. _"Everyone_ thinks I'm funny. I _know_ I'm funny."

"All right, all right. These lads didn't come to hear us bicker." Zayn turned to Niall and Harry, both staring at him expectantly. "What do you want to do first?"

"Err, what are our choices?" Harry asked, glancing sideways at Niall, who merely shrugged.

Louis put his weight on one foot, one hip popped as he counted on his fingers. "We can just walk through and I can point out more details, we can go off the trail a bit and you boys can get a little dirty—" he paused there to wink suggestively, making Harry blush. "Or we can go back outside and trash the gift shop. Our boss wouldn't take kindly to the last one, though."

"Not again, anyway," Zayn added with a smirk.

Harry and Niall looked at each other for a moment, pondering. "I think maybe we should look around for a bit first? Saving the, er, getting dirty bit for the end?" Harry said, his cheeks still flushed.

"Great! Let's get going then!" Louis chirped, leading the way through the Fat Man's Misery and down the cement stairs that followed.

Once they were all through into the next room, Louis switched on his torch and gestured for Niall and Harry to come closer. He climbed onto the handrail, pointing the focused beam of light back into the inky blackness beyond the room.

"Is that water?" Niall asked, leaning over the bars to look at the brightened area.

Louis nodded, scooting a bit to make room for Harry to peer over the railing at the hidden pool. "Yeah, we call it the Wishing Well. We used to have it lit so that people could see it, but they kept throwing money in." He shook his head sadly. "The bottom is still discoloured from the coins oxidizing in the water."

"That's a shame," Harry said, adding the beam from his torch to further illuminate the Wishing Well. "It's lovely."

"It is," Louis agreed, nodding his head. "Zayn and I skinny-dipped in it once."

Two sets of eyes were on him in an instant. "You _what?"_ Niall shouted, his brash voice bouncing off the cave walls. Harry just blinked, a mischievous sort of smile spreading on his face. Louis hoped Harry was picturing that particular scene. Well, maybe not the Zayn bit. Or maybe not at all (the water was pretty cold, in retrospect).

"You haven't heard the half of it!" Zayn called, already venturing into the next room.

Niall and Harry looked at each other, laughing, and pushed off the railing to follow the other tour guide. Casting one last glance at the well, he shut off his own light and followed suit.

***

It continued like that for a while, Zayn and Louis taking turns pointing out the details that were too difficult to show an entire tour. Zayn showed them the cut-off stalagmite with new growth on top, making it resemble a fried egg. Louis pointed out a formation that looked almost like a statue at the bow of an old ship. And, between the pair, they identified no fewer than nine "phalactites" other than the one Harry had seen on his tour.

In the tunnel on the way to the last room, Louis was finally able to show Harry the little crevice hiding the cluster of cave pearls. Further down the bath was the bank of clay with names and dates scratched into it, initials of intrepid adventurers most likely long dead. Harry took in every new detail with wide-eyed wonder, genuinely enthusiastic about the treasures Louis was uncovering for him.

This. _This_ was why Louis had felt such a desire to share these things with the curly-haired stranger all those weeks ago. He had known that the taller boy would love them and appreciate them just as much as Louis did, and he was right.

As they came out of the tunnel, Harry was bent nearly in half to avoid smacking his head on the rock. Once he cleared the overhang, he straightened up and flashed the rock a cheeky smile. "Hullo, Chris," he drawled, terribly amused with himself, causing Louis to erupt into a fit of giggles.

Niall and Zayn looked between Harry and the rock, not privy to the inside joke, but both shrugged and decided not to question it. Zayn was used to Louis' ability to laugh at anything, and Niall was surely accustomed to his friend's quirky sense of humour.

Niall did find the original phalactite uproariously funny, however, going so far as to make Harry take a picture of him posing with it. "Dick-stagram," Harry joked as he snapped the photo, handing Niall back the mobile.

Niall rolled his sapphire eyes. "And this is why I don't let you post the photos."

They climbed the stairs to to the top, looking over the fence at the crystal blue depths below. Niall was awestruck by the underground lake, Louis noted, always enjoying watching people see it for the first time.

Harry took in the view with quiet appreciation. Having seen the lake before, he looked around the room instead, looking past the water to the darkness beyond. "What's back there?" he asked, pointing.

Louis' gaze skimmed the length of Harry's long, slender finger before landing on the spot it was aimed at. "The cave keeps going for about another kilometer past this," he explained.

"Why does the tour stop here, then?" Niall asked, still pressed up against the fence with his eyes on the water below.

Zayn held a hand out, lazily catching the drips from the ceiling in his palm, tipping the collected water over the fence and into the lake when enough had pooled. "There's not really, like, a good way to get people back there," he explained, wiping his damp palm off on his trousers.

Louis nodded in agreement. "And the rest of the cave would be a bit hard to just stroll through. Lots of climbing, crawling, that sort of thing."

Harry rounded on Louis, eyes wide with interest. "Have you gone? Can we?" The words came bubbling out of him, and it was honestly the fastest Louis had ever heard the taller man speak.

"I'm afraid we'll have to save that for another time, Curly," Louis said, patting the wilting boy on the arm, a pang in his chest at the disappointment on Harry's face. "It's a little too advanced for beginners, yeah? But yes, I've been."

Harry looked envious as he turned to peer into the depths beyond the railing once more.

"Speaking of beginners, are you going to let us explore a bit or what?" Niall asked suddenly, tumbling brogue chasing away the tension that had settled into the humid air.

Louis laughed, the sound reverberating melodically in the open space of the cavern. He liked Niall. Despite his earlier reservations, the blond didn't actually seem to be Harry's boyfriend, which made Louis like him even more. And yeah, he had to admit, the trip would probably have been a little more awkward had it been just Louis and Harry.

Or they would still be in the break room, snogging. Either way.

"Well, come on, then, let's give you lads a lesson in spelunking," Louis said brightly. At the twin looks of confusion clouding Harry and Niall's faces, he explained, "Cave exploring?" Shaking his head, Louis turned on his heel to head back down the wet stairs.

***

The cement floor of the pathway had been poured over wooden walkways. The boards had been laid when the cave first opened, but—as wood tends to do when constantly subjected to moisture—it rotted away. Once the more permanent floor had been laid, the rotted wood poked out from underneath like a decaying skeleton.

As the foursome climbed over the railing and down into a lower chamber, Louis was at eye level with said macabre framework. He wrinkled his nose at it before turning to face away. There was nothing naturally occurring in caves that he minded; it was the rubbish humans had brought in that bothered him.

None of the other boys seemed to notice or care about some soggy wood, however, too busy focusing on the tunnel that wound its way underneath the main chamber. Everyone had donned their helmets now, headlamps illuminating the darkness ahead. The tunnel was tall enough that they could walk hunched over, the sticky clay of the floor fairly level and free of formations.

Every now and again, behind Louis there came a _thump_ as either Harry or Niall straightened too much and knocked their helmets against the dolomite overhead.

“Helmet check,” Zayn snickered from further back, bringing up the rear.

The tunnel itself was dull, just a corridor through the rock without any decoration along its rough walls. They approached the tunnel’s dead end, a little taller than the previous section, and Louis stood up, stretching out the crick in his neck from walking hunched over.

“Is this it?” Niall asked skeptically, swinging the beam of his torch around.

Harry scanned the passageway, silent disappointment making a tight line of his mouth. The look disappeared when his light fell upon the tunnel’s well-kept secret. “What is _that?”_

__

Set into the wall of the tunnel was a window-like hole in the rock. The inside of the hole was filled with fragile soda straws and budding columns, the floor of the tiny room covered in wax-like flowstone. Broken soda straws littered the floor, knocked down so long ago they’d been cemented there by new growth.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Louis murmured, adding his torch beam to the mix to better illuminate the calcite diorama.

“This tunnel was discovered when they were trying to find routes further back in the cave that bypassed the lake,” Zayn explained.

Harry looked at the jagged edges framing the little room, at the damaged soda straws just inside. “Why are so many broken?”

Louis frowned, always hating this bit of the cave’s history. “When they hit the dead end, some of the explorers decided to try and make their own way through. They attempted to blast out a section and extend the tunnel. It did a lot of damage to the cave, so they stopped.” He inclined his head toward the opening. “Finding this was the only good that came from it. Can you imagine the other rooms like this, sealed away in the rock, never to be seen by human eyes?”

Speaking of eyes, Harry’s were wide, gleaming in the light from Louis’ headlamp. His mouth was a perfect little ring of surprise, and Louis thought he’d very much like to lean up and cover it with his own.

“Right, well, back the way we came,” Zayn’s voice cut through the placid silence of the room.

Louis sucked in a breath and leaned back, unaware that he’d been subconsciously closing the distance between him and Harry. “Lead on, Zayn,” he said flatly.

Zayn just smirked, as if he knew exactly what he’d done, before turning around and heading back down the tunnel. Niall went next, then Harry. Louis certainly didn’t mind the view of the curly-haired man stooped in front of him as they journeyed back to the larger chamber.

“Where should we take them next?” Louis asked Zayn, once all four men had emerged from the rocky corridor, straightening and stretching.

Zayn tapped his chin thoughtfully. “The Cellar, maybe? Or the Treehouse?”

“Those sound sick,” Niall said, grinning as he brushed at a spot of clay on the sleeve of his shirt.

Harry nodded enthusiastically in agreement. “Are there any bats today?” he asked, rocking back and forth like an excited child. “I want to see more bats.”

Niall’s already pale face lost what little colour it had. “No way. No bats for me, thanks.”

Zayn and Louis’ eyes met, sharing a wordless conversation. Louis absolutely did not appreciate the way Zayn waggled his dark eyebrows suggestively. This was it. Zayn was offering him privacy with Harry. Louis made a mental note to give Zayn all his tips for the next week. Hell, the next _month._

Ignoring the entirely uncalled for brow wiggling, Louis turned to face Harry. “Well, why don’t you and I go on a little bat hunt and let these fellows start exploring without us?”

Harry shot Niall an inquisitive glance. “You don’t mind, do you?”

Niall scoffed. “Please. Anything to keep me away from rabid, flying rats.” The blond shuddered, his features curled in distaste.

Louis wanted to spout off some statistics about how bats were lovely creatures who ate a ton of mosquitoes, that less than half a percent of bats had rabies, and that _none_ of them were rodents, but he didn’t figure Niall would appreciate the information. He’d tell Harry later.

When they were alone.

_Fuck._

Harry simply beamed in response to his friend, completely ignorant of Louis’ silent battle with the indecent images running through his head. He barely knew Harry. They had chemistry, sure, and they took a mean selfie, but it was entirely inappropriate to be fantasizing about bending the brunet over the handrails. Or being bent over himself, Louis wasn’t fussy.

“Louis?” Zayn’s voice interrupted the particularly steamy scene playing out in Louis’ imagination. The other guide was snapping his fingers in Louis’ face. “Did you hear me?”

Louis shook his head, chasing away thoughts of what Harry’s tall, lean body must look like under all that fabric. Far too much fabric. Why had Louis made him change out of the tight jeans again? “No, sorry, I was thinking about… bat things. Yeah.” He pasted on a cheeky grin. “You were saying?”

Zayn sighed, rolling his eyes. He was used to Louis being a bit spacey at times, but that didn’t keep the edge of annoyance out of his voice. “I said, I’m going to take Niall up and show him the Treehouse, and then we’ll meet you two at the Cellar. Sound good?”

“Yeah, great, good plan,” Louis chattered, nodding tightly. He was fidgety, suddenly anxious about having Harry alone in the cave. It was a scenario that had been the focus of more than one of Louis’ masturbatory fantasies in the past month. He was already half-hard, and he found himself suddenly grateful for the poor fit of his work trousers, the loose fabric hiding evidence of his growing erection.

With a barely noticeable wink, Zayn took Niall by the arm and steered him away down the path.

Louis felt heat rising in his cheeks when Harry turned to look at him. When he finally glanced up, meeting Harry’s gaze, he could see something in those big green eyes that made shivers prickle down Louis’ spine.

“So. Bats,” Louis said, his voice cracking.

Harry laughed, the sound warm and rumbling. “Bats,” he repeated, managing not to sound like he was going through puberty. “It’s good to see you again, Louis.” Harry’s voice was soft and genuine.

If he hadn’t been blushing already, Louis would have then. “Good to see you too,” he said in a near-whisper, lips curving around the words. And it was. Louis had hoped that Harry would return for a visit someday. While he never thought the harmless flirting during the previous tour would ever lead to anything, having Harry stood in front of him brought all those feelings rushing back. Suddenly, though, they didn’t seem quite so inconsequential.

Harry was still grinning at him, amusement flickering in his eyes, when Louis pulled himself together. “Right. Let’s go have a look where we saw the pip last time, do you remember? I think I saw one there earlier.” He turned and headed back toward the entrance of the cave, sensing Harry following close behind. He absolutely did not make sure to swing his hips more than usual as he led them past the Rock of Many Names and into the room beyond.

Louis found a bat quickly, under the same bit of drapery where they’d seen one on Harry’s last visit. This one was a pipistrelle as well, trembling slightly in the beam of their lights.

“Why’s it shaking?” Harry asked in wonder, leaning over the railing to get a better look.

Louis let his eyes graze over the curve of Harry’s spine, the swell of his bum somewhat lost in Louis’ old trousers, the impossible length of his legs. “It’s trying to let go,” Louis explained.

Harry rounded on him, head tilted in interest, so Louis continued.

“It’s waking up. Do you know how they hang on like that?” Louis, ever the tour guide, asked. He was always happy to share some information about the misunderstood creatures. He was quite fond of bats, actually. Harry shook his head. “They have tendons in their feet that connect to their upper bodies. After they latch on, they relax and the weight of their bodies pulls those tendons tight. When it wants to let go, it just has to tense up to release its grip.” Louis leaned an elbow against the railing, a millimeter of space separating his body from Harry’s as they peered up at the bat. “Did you know that their grip is so strong that if they die while hanging upside down, they’ll just stay there until something knocks them down?”

Harry looked startled by that, mouth falling open to reveal a row of perfect teeth. Louis self-consciously tucked his tongue behind the crooked incisor in his own mouth. “That one’s not dead though, right?” he asked, worry drawing his eyebrows in as he returned his focus to the creature.

Of course, the bat chose that moment to leave its perch, swooping low over their heads. Harry squealed, ducking down as the pipistrelle circled the room once, twice, before disappearing in a flurry of leathery wings.

Louis didn’t even try to contain his laughter, giggles pouring out of him as Harry slowly straightened up from his crouch.

“I’ve never made that noise before,” he said sheepishly, cheeks tinged with colour.

“Sure you haven’t,” Louis teased. “I bet you say that to all the boys.”

Harry was in his personal space before he could blink, looking down at him with those rose-pink lips slightly parted.

Louis drew in a sharp gasp, overwhelmed by the finely sculpted face centimeters from his own, the other boy’s warm breath ghosting over his lips. “Hi,” he whispered breathlessly, incredibly turned on by the sudden, uncharacteristic boldness.

Harry chuckled, the sound so low that Louis could almost feel it in his own chest. “Hi,” he replied, tentatively reaching out a hand to grip Louis’ bicep, reverting to the shy, stumbling Curly Louis remembered. Harry’s fingers gripped at the fabric covering Louis’ arm, thumb rubbing a gentle circle into the muscle underneath. “Um, I think I’d like to kiss you, if that’s all right?”

Louis let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. “I think I’d like that,” he replied, too caught up in the moment to tease Harry for being bashful.

And then Harry’s mouth was on his, lips just as soft as Louis had imagined them to be. Their noses bumped together as Louis stood on tiptoe, snaking his arms around Harry’s neck to draw the brunet closer to him. Harry’s own arms wrapped tightly around Louis’ torso, pulling their chests flush. Louis could feel Harry’s heart pounding wildly, or was it his own? Either way, the brunet moaned when Louis reached up to tangle a hand in Harry’s curls, the strands soft and silken against his fingers.

Harry took the touch as encouragement, coaxing Louis’ mouth open to slip his tongue inside. Louis welcomed the intrusion eagerly, meeting Harry’s tongue with his own, gasping as Harry slipped a hand down his spine to cup his bum.

They broke apart, panting, lips plump and wet from the osculation. “Wanted to do that since the moment I saw you,” Harry breathed, voice thick.

Catching his own breath, Louis raised a sly eyebrow. “Which part? Kiss me, or grope my bum?”

WIth a laugh, Harry tossed his head and bared the creamy column of his throat. Louis licked his lips at the sight, overcome with a desire to find out what Harry tasted like, what sounds he would make then.

“Both, if I’m honest.”

That’s all Louis needed to launch himself at Harry, pressing their lips together again and rucking the fabric of Harry’s shirt up to touch his skin. Harry’s abdomen was smooth, well defined, and Louis dragged a teasing fingertip along the muscle ridges before dipping it into the waistband of the borrowed trousers.

Groaning at the suggestive touch, Harry tilted his head to give Louis access to his neck. Louis tore his mouth from Harry’s, nipping at the taller man’s ear before sucking a kiss just underneath. The suction left a red mark, but nothing that would bruise (he hoped). He laved his way down Harry’s throat, teeth grazing at the cords standing out against his skin.

Harry’s hands roamed Louis’ body, large palms covering the shorter man’s back as they caressed his smaller frame. When he made his way to Louis’ bum, he took it in both hands this time, crashing their hips together. Louis could feel Harry’s erection pressing against his own, and both men moaned at the friction.

Louis pulled his mouth away from the love bite he had sucked along Harry’s collarbone. Leaning his damp forehead against Harry’s cheek, Louis tilted his head so that his lips grazed Harry’s ear as he spoke. “I want to suck you,” he murmured, punctuating the statement with a teasing flick of his tongue.

Nodding furiously, Harry released his hold on Louis to fumble with the fly of his trousers.

Louis batted the other man’s hands away, deftly pulling open the button and undoing the zip. Harry watched with hooded eyes as Louis tugged the slacks down just past Harry’s thighs. He sucked on his bottom lip as Louis sank to the ground, leaning forward to mouth at the bulge tenting his boxer briefs.

“God,” Harry groaned, one hand finding its way to Louis’ head to tangle in the caramel-coloured locks. Pleased with his effect on the brunet, Louis placed a tender kiss to the bulge before tugging down Harry’s pants in a rapid motion, allowing Harry’s cock to spring free.

Louis inhaled at the sight of Harry’s manhood, thick and dark against the pale skin of his thigh. “Damn,” he uttered, wrapping his hand around the base and giving an experimental stroke. If he had thought Harry was lovely before, he was downright _beautiful_ like this, exposed and coming undone with just a single touch from Louis.

Harry hissed at the contact, jerking into the stroke. “Lou, please,” he whined, thrusting against Louis’ hand.

Louis would have loved to draw this out, to bring Harry slowly to the edge with his hand, backing off long enough that he was begging for it by the time Louis actually took him into his mouth. Unfortunately, they were technically in a public place and their companions were going to rejoin them at any moment. It wouldn’t take them long to explore the hollow column the guides referred to as the Treehouse, and Louis knew he needed to make good use of his time.

Harry whined again, and without hesitation Louis engulfed the brunet’s dick in his mouth, taking him in until his throat clenched in protest. Harry couldn’t even make a sound, just mouthing wordlessly at the ceiling as he stood pressed against the railing. The hand not tangled in Louis’ hair was wrapped around the handrail, knuckles white.

It didn’t take long to find a rhythm, Louis working the base of Harry’s cock with one hand and bobbing his head along the rest of the shaft. He took pleasure in seeing what noises he could elicit from the curly-haired man. The mewl when he sucked lightly at the tip. The gasp when he flattened his tongue along the underside. And when he took Harry in completely, lips pressed against the hand gripping the base, and hollowed his cheeks— _oh._

Harry wasn’t quiet, that’s for sure, and Louis was grateful that Zayn had led Niall as far away as possible. As it was, the gasps and moans were amplified against the cave walls, interspersed with the steady drips falling from above.

The hand tangled in Louis’ hair was pulled away as Louis pushed down particularly far on Harry’s erection, the head nudging at the back of his throat. He looked up through his eyelashes, seeing the taller man grasping along the cave wall to find purchase.

Narrowing his eyes, Louis mumbled something around Harry’s cock, the words unintelligible for the heavy flesh stretching his mouth wide.

“Ohhhh…” Harry groaned, eyes shut tight with pleasure. “Did you say something, Lou?” he gasped, managing to grind out the words between swipes of Louis’ skilled tongue.

Louis tried again, louder this time, agitated at the interruption.

Harry looked down at him, pupils blown and curls clinging to the sheen of sweat coating his forehead. “I, _nnngh,_ didn’t quite catch that,” he panted.

Frustrated, Louis pulled completely off of Harry’s dick, lips making a little pop as they pulled free of the head. “I said, don’t touch the bloody formations!”

Looking chastised, Harry jerked his hand away from the wall like it had shocked him. “Oops. Sorry,” he murmured sheepishly, embarrassment deepening the colour on his already-flushed face.

Louis pursed his lips, the corners tender from being held open around Harry’s sizeable arousal. “Just don’t do it again,” he warned in a rough voice, stroking the spit-slick cock in his hand with a little more pressure than was strictly necessary.

Harry only moaned in response. With a grin, Louis pounced on Harry once more, swallowing him down as far as he could, the other man’s pelvis snapping forward in response. Gagging, Louis took the taller man’s hips in his hands, thumbs pressed firmly into the bones to keep Harry from thrusting.

Louis felt Harry’s large hand cup his face, thumb dipping into the hollow of his cheek as he sucked. “’m close,” he whispered, voice throaty and positively wrecked. The sound of it made Louis groan as he took Harry all the way in to the hilt, the muscles in his throat working against the intrusion and tears pricking at the corners of his eyes.

He glanced up at Harry again, this time through dampened lashes, and that’s all it took. In the next instant Harry had grabbed his hair once more, pulling Louis back just slightly as his arousal came to a head. Louis gently sucked Harry through his orgasm, eagerly swallowing the spurts of come coating the inside of his mouth. When Harry was trembling and spent, Louis pulled off gently, smiling despite the ache in his jaw.

“Was that okay?” he whispered as he got to his feet, voice hoarse. The knees of his trousers were damp from the wet cement floor.

Harry slowly blinked his eyes open, his irises reduced to a sliver of green around his pupils. He was still leaning heavily on the railing, boneless and sated as he came down from his climax. “Yeah,” he managed, chest still heaving. His eyes trailed down Louis’ face, fixing on his mouth. “Erm, you’ve got a little…” He gestured sheepishly at the corner of his mouth.

Louis touched a finger to the edge of his lips, swiping it through the escaped drop of come clinging there, before popping the digit into his mouth and sucking it clean. Harry nearly whined at the sight, cock twitching in interest.

“That was amazing,” Harry said, pulling the smaller man into him and hugging him close for the first time. It was strange, Louis thought, that he had sucked Harry off before they had done so much as hug. He didn’t mind too much, however, letting himself relax into the embrace, feeling Harry’s heart still pounding from the high.

When they parted, Harry pulled up his pants and trousers, stealing a glance at Louis’ own tented slacks. “What about you?” the brunet murmured seductively, lightly cupping Louis’ neglected cock through the fabric.

Louis could feel the wetness of precome soaking through his pants, and he pressed into the touch. “Oh, I’d love that,” Louis sighed breathily, “But it’ll have to wait. I think we’ve just run out of time.”

Sure enough, the sound of approaching footfalls reverberated through the cavern, Niall’s brassy tone mingling with Zayn’s velvety one as their friends approached. Louis pressed a quick kiss to the corner of Harry’s mouth, whispering, “You can make it up to me,” before hastily adjusting his tousled fringe.

Niall’s presence was announced by a string of curses, most of which didn’t bear repeating but definitely included the phrase “fuck me sideways.” Harry and Louis were both giggling into their hands as the blond came into view, covered in mud and rubbing a spot on his head.

“I, er, forgot to warn him about the Rock of Many Names,” Zayn explained, following behind. He barely had a spot of mud on him, as if his very aura warded off the filth. Louis wouldn’t be surprised; his friend was nothing short of godlike, and that is exactly the kind of superpower Zayn would possess.

“How was the… Treehouse, was it?” Harry asked, trying to make his voice sound as normal as possible.

Niall’s questioning blue gaze flitted between Harry and Louis, the latter holding his discarded helmet in front of his crotch to hide his slowly wilting erection. “It was sick, mate. It was like, a pillar—”

“Column,” Louis corrected automatically.

“—Yeah, column, whatever,” Niall continued flippantly, “And you could actually crawl inside it, and there were more formations inside.” He looked down at himself, gesturing at the state of his clothing. “Had to crawl through a puddle to get to it, though.”

Zayn was standing just behind Niall, a knowing smile twisting his lips as he regarded the pair’s messy hair and swollen lips. “Yeah, I imagine your knees are going to be sore tomorrow, mate.” He was addressing Louis, looking devilishly pleased with himself. Louis narrowed his eyes in response.

“Right now I’m more worried about me head,” Niall complained, assuming Zayn had been speaking to him. “Shoulda left the helmet on a little longer, I guess.”

“Safety is important, Niall,” Harry quipped gravely, mouth twitching at the corner as he tried not to smile. The movement made Louis lick his lips unconsciously, the press of his mouth against the other boy’s still fresh in his mind.

Niall snorted, grabbing Harry’s helmet from where it lay beside the path. “Mate, _you_ need to wear a helmet all the time,” he laughed, plunking the headgear over Harry’s mess of curls.

The other two men sniggered as well, Harry blushing in reply as he tightened the helmet strap around his chin. “I believe someone mentioned the Basement or Dungeon or something?” he asked, once the laughter had abated.

“Cellar. Cellar. Cellar.” Louis chanted, eyes wide. He absolutely did not need to think of taking Harry into anything called the Dungeon.

Judging by Harry’s bewildered expression, his mind wasn’t quite as filthy as Louis’. “Okay, then. Cellar. Shall we?”

***

The Cellar was another tunnel off the side of the main path, running below and parallel to the main chamber. There was a chute-like entrance off the side of the concrete walkway, leading down into a fairly wide crawlspace.

Zayn slid down the incline first, disappearing through the dark hole until he was only visible as a beam of light at the bottom. “All right, the floor is pretty flat so just slide down on your bum and I’ll guide you,” he called up through the opening.

“This is so wild,” Niall said excitedly, slipping under the railing to position himself at the top of the slope. When he was seated, he grinned over his shoulder at Harry. “If I break my legs, just be sure to come toss me some food and a few pints every day. I could be like their mascot or something.”

“You’d be a shit mascot, Nialler,” Harry laughed, “but of course I’d feed you. Now get on with it.”

With a whoop, Niall pushed off and let himself vanish into the darkness to join Zayn. There was a gentle thud and an _oomph_ from below, but no broken bones or cries of agony.

“Next!” Zayn’s voice called over Niall’s elated cheers echoing up from the crawlspace.

“That’s you,” Louis said, bumping his hip against Harry’s.

The taller man’s cheeks flushed at the contact, but he playfully leaned into it. “We could stay up here, let them explore,” he mumbled shyly, unable to meet Louis’ eyes.

The thought of letting the handsome boy drag him away to another part of the cave and have his way with him was tempting, to say the least. Louis valiantly swallowed against the the images in his mind, not needing another erection after the last one had just subsided. “As much as I’d love that, Curly, you came here for a private cave tour and that is what you’re going to get.” He drew himself up to his full height, gently grabbing Harry’s chin and turning the boy to face him. “Now get your cute little bum down that chute before I change my mind.”

Harry was smirking as he worked his tall body underneath the railing and onto the edge of the slope. The hand gripping the railing to keep him from sliding down just yet brought images to Louis’ mind of their earlier encounter.

“Don’t look so pleased with yourself,” Louis scoffed.

The shoulder of Harry’s free hand lifted in a half-hearted shrug. “You think I have a cute bum,” he said, eyes gleaming as he pushed off the landing and slid out of sight.

Alone with his thoughts and the pair of bats dotting the ceiling, Louis drew in a few deep breaths to calm himself down. What was it about this fumbling, awkward, baby deer of a man that got him so worked up? He’d felt a spark back during that first tour, sure, but now it was as if something inside him was gleefully fanning the flames. Their texting back-and-forth had been fun, but the distance kept Louis from entertaining the thought of actually pursuing Harry. Now, though, the two hour drive from the park to Harry’s home of Holmes Chapel didn’t seem that prohibitive.

“Oi! You’re holding up the show, Tommo!” Zayn called from the depths, shaking Louis from his reverie. “Your arse isn’t too big to fit, is it?”

Bristling, Louis deftly slipped through the bars of the railing and readied himself for the slide. “Not as fat as your head, Zayn!” he called back, whooping as he propelled himself down the chute to join the others.

The Cellar was too short to stand in, but it was wide enough that it wasn’t cramped, even with four bodies packed into the space. Louis got to his hands and knees, the latter a little tender from the rough cement floor earlier, and crawled over to one of the various tunnels leading out of the room.

The Cellar itself was fairly nondescript, just a packed clay floor and bare limestone walls, but the lack of formations meant there was less damage to be done by exploring. Here and there were bits of litter that tourists had thrown down into the opening, ticket stubs and candy wrappers that Louis dutifully stuffed into the pockets of his trousers as he happened upon them. Louis found the lack of respect for something as old and impressive as the cave reprehensible, not understanding how people could take something so lovely and fill it with rubbish. Then again, that seemed to happen quite a lot, and trying to reverse the damage was a neverending, thankless job. However, the admiration on Harry’s face when he noticed Louis tucking a discarded battery into his pocket was enough to make the smaller man shiver with an upsurge of pride.

“You really love this place, don’t you?” Harry asked as he moved closer to Louis, somehow more awkward on all fours than he was upright.

Louis sat back on his haunches, the shrug of his shoulders making the beam of his headlamp sway. “I mean, I just don’t like to see things taken for granted, you know? In nature or otherwise.” He picked up a rock from the cave floor, turning the clay-covered fragment over in his hands. “There’s a motto in caving that goes, ‘take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time.’ I think the world would be a better place if more people lived by those rules.” He gingerly placed the rock back down where he had found it.

Harry followed the motion with wide, bottle green eyes, almost luminous in the light from Louis’ headlamp. “That’s really beautiful,” he said finally, the words coming out tender and unhurried.

“Or cheesy. Definitely cheesy,” Louis said, all hints of softness gone and replaced by his usual impishness. The smile on Harry’s face told him that the other man wasn’t fooled, but Harry was polite enough not to push the matter further.

After about twenty minutes of exploring, the boys had seen all there was to see in the Cellar. They had been in the cave for nearly two hours, and it was getting close to the time that Liam would be sending in a search party.

“Well, lads, are you about ready for some fresh air?” Zayn asked as he helped Harry up out of the lower chamber. The tall boy beamed when he managed to slip through the railing and stick his landing. Louis just shook his head, chuckling fondly.

“I’ll say. Being in an enclosed space with Niall for very long is never a good idea,” Harry drawled, slinging an arm around the blond’s shoulders.

“Hey, watch it.” Niall wormed his way out from under the assailing limb. “I make no apologies for doing something everyone does.”

“And that’s totally fair,” Louis chimed in, clapping a hand on Niall’s muddy shoulder (how on earth did he get mud on his _shoulders?)._ “However, the air in here only circulates every twenty-four hours or so, so Zayn and I will have something to remember you by at work tomorrow.”

Instead of showing any sign of remorse, Niall just cackled, actually laughing so hard that he clutched at his middle while his breath came in gasps.

Harry was laughing as well, unbuckling the chin strap of his helmet and freeing his flattened curls. “I’ll never complain about you smelling up my car ever again. I only have to live with that for a few minutes!”

All four boys laughing, they slowly began making their way back to the gated entrance of the cave. They stopped here and there along the way, Niall and Harry asking questions and Louis and Zayn remembering more details they wanted to point out. Louis’ eyes kept wandering to Harry, from the bow of his lips to the slight curve of his bum, and more than once he felt Harry’s gaze on his own body. He hoped the dim lighting in the cave was enough to hide the blush that seemed to have taken up residence on his cheeks.

They passed the spot where Louis and Harry had taken their selfie together, and Louis couldn’t help but smile at the memory. It was still the background of his phone, Harry’s glinting eyes and contagious smile burned into Louis’ memory before he even knew the other man’s name. He pulled Harry to a stop, Niall and Zayn not noticing (or just being polite) as they continued on to the front room of the cave.

“Want to update our selfie?” Louis asked, tugging the bewildered boy over towards the familiar backdrop of drapery.

The confused twist of Harry’s lips crept into a small smile. “I’d love to.” He reached into the pocket of his trousers, pulling out his mobile as they got into position. Much more comfortable around Harry now, the pose was less awkward and forced (funny how sucking someone’s cock had that effect). As Harry steadied the camera, Louis pulled a silly face, jutting his thumb towards the taller man. Harry laughed in response but kept smiling, hitting the button to take the picture. At the last minute, the curly-haired man turned his head to press his lips against Louis’ cheek.

Lowering the camera, Harry pulled away shyly to inspect the photo. “I like it,” he declared, teeth bared in a pleased smile. He turned the screen so Louis could see.

 

“We look like a proper pair, don’t we?” Louis agreed, not blind to the modest duck of Harry’s head at his words.

Face still turned down, Harry saved the photo and returned his mobile to his pocket. “I had a really good time today, Lou,” he said, eyelashes fluttering on the apples of his dimpled cheeks.

Oh, how Louis wanted to tangle his hands in that mess of brown hair, pull the other man close and snog him silly. His cheek still felt warm from the soft press of Harry’s lips, and it seemed other parts of his anatomy wouldn’t soon forget being ignored. “I had fun too, Curly,” he replied with a reedy voice. “Come on, the lads are waiting,” he said reluctantly, his small hand finding the scoop of Harry’s lower back and gently guiding him out of the cave.

***

Once the gate was locked and all the lights were off, the foursome found themselves in the break room once more, squinting against a fluorescent assault as their eyes readjusted to the light.

They had managed to stay relatively clean, as far as crawling around in a cave goes, with only Niall looking like he’d gone swimming in a mud puddle.

“I’m going out for a smoke, and I’ll call Liam before he has a fit,” Zayn said once he’d changed, stepping out of the bathroom still looking runway ready with humidity-flattened hair and a streak of clay up his forearm.

Niall grabbed his duffel bag from where he’d tossed it beside the couch earlier. “My turn to change then,” he said, ducking into the bathroom and leaving Harry and Louis alone in the break room.

Harry was staring pointedly at something on the floor, cheeks tinged pink, as he fiddled with the soiled hem of his shirt. “Erm, I really did have a good time. Even aside from the…” he trailed off as he gestured awkwardly at the crotch of his trousers.

In an amazing display of self-restraint, Louis kept his eyes from following Harry’s gesture, keeping them firmly planted on the boy’s blushing face instead. “But I hope that part was good too,” he teased, licking his lips at the memory of the other man’s taste.

Harry’s eyes flicked up then, fixing Louis in his gemstone gaze. “Yes,” he said quickly, as if he was worried Louis actually doubted the fact. “That part was amazing.”

It was Louis’ turn to blush. Feeling bold, he took a step closer to the other man, slotting one leg between Harry’s thighs as he reached up to cup the back of the taller boy’s head. “It was, wasn’t it?” he said with a smirk, fingers twining themselves through Harry’s curls. “You’re pretty amazing as well.” With that, he gently pulled Harry’s face to meet his own, pressing a gentle kiss to the brunet’s plush mouth.

Harry’s lips were warm and soft, and as desperately as Louis wanted to deepen the kiss, he also wanted to give Harry the message that sex wasn’t the only thing on his mind. This boy was nothing like anyone he’d ever met before. And he’d come back to Louis’ domain. Surely that meant something, right?

The kiss was chaste and sweet and over far too quickly, but the look on Harry’s face when they parted made Louis’ stomach turn somersaults. “You’re amazing, too,” he murmured with something akin to awe, reaching out a large hand to stroke Louis’ cheek. “I’d invite you back to mine if I weren’t staying with my Gran.”

Louis leaned into the touch, chuckling lightly. “I don’t think she’d appreciate that, would she? Niall probably wouldn’t either.” There were so many unspoken questions flitting through Louis’ mind. _Where does this leave us? Is there something here? Will I see you again?_ Needing at least an answer to the last one, Louis opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by the emergence of Niall from the loo.

“Your turn, H!” the blond called, chucking the duffel to Harry.

Arms flailing, Harry somehow managed to catch the bag, clutching it to his chest as he narrowed his eyes at Niall. “You’re a menace. I’m never taking you anywhere ever again.” Grinning apologetically at Louis, he disappeared to change into clean clothes.

The chime at the front door sounded as Zayn reentered the gift shop. He swept into the break room, the smell of cigarette smoke clinging to him like an aura. “Liam says he’s glad no one broke any bones, but that if you debauched any part of the cave he’ll fracture a few of yours,” the other guide said nonchalantly.

Louis snorted. “I’d like to see him try.” At the pointed look he received from Zayn, he conceded, “Okay, well he could probably take me. Definitely take me. Shut up.”

The bathroom door swung open, revealing Harry in a band tee and the skinny jeans from earlier. He had Louis’ spare work trousers folded neatly in his arms, damp spots around the clay making it look like Harry had tried to clean them in the sink. “Thanks for letting me borrow these. I can take them to my Gran’s and wash them if you want.”

Louis took the trousers from Harry and stuck them back in his cubby. “Thanks for the offer, but I need to do laundry before work tomorrow anyway.” He gestured down at his own soiled trousers. He couldn’t help but notice Harry’s eyes linger on the muddy patches over his knees.

The moment was interrupted with a bellowing yawn. Niall had his arms stretched overhead, mouth wide and eyes clenched shut. “I’m about knackered. More exercise than I’m used to getting.” His words were punctuated with another, smaller yawn for good measure. “Harry, you ready to shove off, mate?”

The reluctance was clear on Harry’s face, a smile shaping his lips but falling short of his eyes. “Yeah, I suppose we should. I don’t want my gran to worry.”

Louis doesn’t even try to hide his face falling. Everything felt so unfinished, like they were on the brink of something important but didn’t have time to explore the exciting, uncharted territory just beyond the precipice. He opened his mouth, ready to say a quick goodbye, but Zayn cut him off.

“Here, let me help you out to the car,” he said, easing the duffel off Harry’s arm and onto his own. He gave Louis a meaningful glance as he slipped an arm into the crook of Niall’s, leading the Irish lad in the direction of the car park.

 _That’s it, I’m taking Zayn’s cleaning duties for the rest of the summer,_ Louis thought as the duo slipped out the front door, already laughing at something Niall had said. Smiling at the idea of his best mate and Harry’s best mate getting on so well, he turned back to face the taller lad. “Well, Curly, I guess this is goodbye.”

Harry’s smile was sad, but genuine. “How about ‘see you later’ instead?” he asked hopefully.

Warmth radiated from Louis’ chest down to the tips of his fingers and toes. “I’d really like that,” he said softly, voice thick with affection.

Any trace of sadness wiped from his lips, Harry stooped to give Louis one more chaste kiss on the mouth, lingering long enough to take Louis’ slender hand in his larger one and give it a gentle squeeze. “I’ll see you soon. That’s a promise,” Harry said solemnly as they parted.

“I’ll hold you to that,” Louis replied, barely able to stop himself from dancing. He felt like a lovesick teenager who was slipped a note by his crush during class.

Harry looked towards the door forlornly as the horn of his car sounded. “I had better get out there before Niall does something drastic. Last time he had to wait for me he took all of my CDs and stacked them ‘round the antenna. I didn’t notice until they started flying off as I drove.”

Louis laughed before reaching out and pulling the taller man into a hug, arms wrapping tightly around his middle as Harry’s looped around his shoulders. They just stood there like that, holding on, inhaling the scent of each other’s washing powder, until the horn sounded once more and it truly was time to say goodbye.

“And promise you’ll text me?” Louis asked as he held the door open for the other boy.

Harry nodded enthusiastically, dimples out in full force. “You’ll be sick of me, I’ll text you so often.”

“I’ll hold you to that too,” Louis replied, smiling so hard his cheeks were starting to ache.

“Oi, lovebirds! Give it a rest!” Niall called from the partially open window of the passenger seat, making both boys squirm at the moniker. “You have two minutes before I dig out my dirty clothes and start smearing mud into the upholstery!”

Harry blanched at the threat. “Unfortunately, he’s dead serious. I have to go.” Not wanting to be too affectionate in front of their friends, Louis settled for clasping one of Harry’s hands in his own, holding on an extra beat before letting Harry slip away to join Niall in the car. All too soon the visitors were waving frantically out the window as they pulled away, tail lights cutting through the eddying dust of the car park like laser beams.

It felt momentous, watching Harry drive away, as if Louis’d had a summer full of romance in one evening, but now summer was ending and it was time to go back to school.

Sensing his friend’s melancholy, Zayn sidled up to Louis and slung a toned arm around his shoulders. “He’ll be back, that one. Don’t worry, all right?”

Louis’ brightened at Zayn’s encouragement. “You really think so?”

“Yeah, mate. You should see the way he looks at you. Like the sun literally shines out of your arse.”

“I’m offended you think it doesn’t, Zayn,” Louis said with mock umbrage, leading the way back into the gift shop. They needed to tidy up the break room and turn down all the lights before they could leave, but instead of getting to work Louis flung himself down on the couch.

“So,” Zayn said knowingly as he began straightening the room unaided, “are you going to tell me what happened or should I just let my imagination run wild?”

Louis tilted his head to smirk at his best friend. “A lady never kisses and tells, Zaynie.”

Wiping a smear of clay off the bathroom doorknob, Zayn made a show of rolling his eyes. “Except that’s not true because you tell me everything, whether I want to know or not.” Tossing the used kitchen towel in the bin, he crossed the room to plop down on Louis’ stomach. Louis tried to shove the other man off, but Zayn pinned his arms. “Come on, mate, tell me,” he whined, sticking out his full bottom lip in a ridiculous pout. “I need to know if you managed to, you know, get your rocks off.”

Louis groaned at the outrageous double entendre, finally managing to shunt the giggling man to the floor. Zayn landed in a heap, clutching his stomach as he laughed.

“You’re incorrigible. I’m never speaking to you ever again. I’m telling Liam it was you who drew those dicks all over the roll of tickets.”

“He knows that was you, Louis. _Everyone_ knows that was you.”

Sitting up, Louis heaved a put-upon sigh. “Well, I’ll think of something awful you did, I’m sure.” His lips twisted into a shy smile. “Just between us, though, the alone time was definitely put to good use.”

“I knew it!” Zayn crowed, punching the air, just as Louis’ phone started to chime with notifications. “Man, if that’s Harry already…”

“It’s not,” Louis replied defensively as he checked his text messages. It totally was.

_Just got back to my grans but i wanted to say thank you .xx_

_promise i’ll see you soon :D_

Louis’ face must have given it away, because as Zayn climbed to his feet he muttered, “You’re such a shit liar.”

***

WIth the break room in working condition and the gift shop secure, Louis and Zayn headed to the employee car park. Louis couldn’t help the little spring in his step, due in part to the no less than seven additional texts he had received from Harry since the first couple.

Zayn groaned loudly as Louis’ phone sounded once more. “Mate, you’re worse than my sisters. It had better not be like this from now on.”

“It’s not even Harry this time,” Louis shot back, eyes sweeping across his mobile’s illuminated screen. “It’s Liam.”

_zayn said u guys survived. u bettr not have made a mess in the cave aha_

Louis rolled his eyes at the text. As smart and business-savvy as their supervisor was, text messaging was not his forte.

 _No worries, mate ! No messes in the cave ;)_ Louis typed back, chuckling deviously.

“What are you up to?” Zayn asked, suspicious, leaning against his car and watching Louis text.

“Oh, just giving Liam a heart attack. Nothing out of the ordinary.” Another text from Liam hit his inbox.

_wat do u mean ‘in the cave’ louis why is there a winky face_

Scooting next to Zayn so the other man could see their conversation, Louis tapped out a reply.

_You never said anything about the couch in the break room ! xxxx_

“You know he’s going to have it steam-cleaned and take it out of your cheque,” Zayn said in between bursts of laughter.

“Oh, I know, but it’s so worth it,” Louis replied. His phone went off several more times, all nearly incoherent texts from Liam. He skipped over them in favour of the new one from Harry.

It was a picture message, the new selfie they had taken on the way out of the cave, accompanied by the caption: _miss you already .x._ Louis wasted no time setting the photo as his background, butterflies filling his stomach.

He had met a lot of interesting people in his time as a tour guide, told a lot of stories and taken a lot of pictures with strangers. As he bid Zayn goodnight and climbed into his car, Louis couldn’t help thinking that his life had changed for the better when that curly-haired tourist had stumbled into his life all those weeks ago. He wasn’t sure what they were to each other, only that they were _something_ and that was enough for now. He missed Harry too, and would miss him even more at work when he saw the spare trousers in his cubby, or the stack of helmets in the storage closet, or _that fucking railing._

But he’d see Harry soon. The other man had sworn to it, giving Louis something to look forward to. And so far, he reminded himself, each time they met was even better than the last.

He was so happy the next day he didn’t even argue when Liam made him spend his entire break researching the cost of reupholstering furniture, as if a good cleaning wouldn’t be nearly enough to make up for the imagined offence. Instead, Louis snuck out his phone to fire off a quick text to Harry.

_Glad we could make moaning caverns live up to its name ! ;)_

Harry was quick to respond, Louis’ phone vibrating seconds later. The other boy’s reply left Louis choking on his own saliva.

_Anytime! ;) your turn next .xxxx_

It was no one's fault but Harry's that Louis couldn't manage to say the park's name with a straight face for the rest of the week.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! For those of you who have been asking me for the sequel, thanks for waiting so patiently. Your kind words and kudos mean the world to me!
> 
> Like I mentioned in the notes, I do have some ideas for a third part if there's interest. <3
> 
> Come say hi on [tumblr!](http://icanhazzalou.tumblr.com) [Here](http://icanhazzalou.tumblr.com/post/105529591651/dip-his-toe-in-by-kiwikero-icanhazzalou) is the post for this installment, if you want to like/reblog it. I'm considering making a post with more pictures from the cave, including some of my own spelunking pictures. I'll be sure to link it if I do.
> 
> Much love! Mwah!!


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